Derg open farm raises £39,200 for charities

AN open day which took place on a dairy farm in Castlederg has raised a total of £39,200 for two charities.

Grove Dairy Holsteins, a 750-cow dairy farm owned and ran by the Mitchell family outside Castlederg, hosted the event. It featured a selection of trade stands and presentations from local agri-businesses, as well as a charity auction.

The open day was held in conjunction with the Lely Centre in Eglish, a sales and servicing hub for innovative products, such as the astronaut milking robot.

A total of £39,200 was raised, which will be split equally between the two chosen charities, Parkinson’s UK and Air Ambulance NI.

Explaining why the family picked the charities, John Mitchell, who operates the farm, said his father-in-law had Parkinson’s and they wanted to give something back.

He also said they wanted to support Air Ambulance NI and the amazing work they do to help people in rural areas.

The event saw large numbers in attendance to see the inner workings of the impressive farm.

At the event, Mr Mitchell spoke about the farm’s transition from milking in two 30-30 milking parlours, three times a day, to an entirely robotic Lely milking system.

There were also a range of other agri-businesses in attendance at the open day, including feed companies, genetics companies and machinery companies.

Mr Mitchell said, “My wife’s father has Parkinson’s and we were approached by the Lely Centre to do an open farm and I said we would do if it was for charity. We chose Parkinson’s UK and the Air Ambulance.

“We have had great support and we raised far more money than I would’ve thought. I would like to thank everyone who donated and all the people that helped us on the day.”

Damien McAnespie, fundraising manager for Air Ambulance NI, said, “This is an incredible donation from John and the Mitchell family in support of Air Ambulance NI. This donation will fund our charity service for over three days, potentially saving the lives, brains and limbs of six individuals.

“Each year, Air Ambulance NI requires £2.5 million in donations to keep the service operational. Thank you again to John and the Mitchell family for playing their part in saving lives, brains and limbs.”